Gerald Smith – Moderator

Founder & CEO, Plexpod

Best known for fostering a culture of innovation, Gerald describes his success as “25 years of riding the digital wave” while consulting global brands on marketing and communications.

In 2014, Gerald launched the progressive Coworking brand Plexpod, which provides flexible office space and amenities to entrepreneurs and growth-stage companies of all sizes. Plexpod is part of the sharing-economy, where member-companies make Plexpod their world headquarters and enjoy access to numerous amenities like meeting rooms, event spaces, maker spaces, kitchens, fitness and gaming, and all within a next generation collaborative workspace. Plexpod is expanding to other cities and recently opened phase one of Plexpod Westport Commons in Kansas City, which is expected to be the world’s largest coworking campus at 360,000 square feet once completed.

Cindy Augustine

Owner, Kazoo Marketing

Cindy Augustine is a Strategic Media Planner/Buyer, with over 24 years’ experience in the industry.  She has assisted clients with their paid media campaigns from coast to coast, and works with all mediums, including traditional and online. Cindy is the Chair of the Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee with the League of Women Voters of Kansas City, and she and her family enjoy spending time traveling, attending all her kids’ activities and visiting local Kansas City restaurants.

Kelsie Lauck

Owner, Wayfarer Creative

Kelsie is a designer and marketing strategist who helps bring dreams and ideas to life. As the owner of Wayfarer Creative, she draws from her background in design and retail to help e-commerce businesses create beautiful and strategic branding, websites, and marketing plans. Her clients have been featured on the runways of New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week, in Vogue, Elle, Harpers Bazaar, and Cosmopolitan, on Bravo, and on ABC, Fox, and CBS local and national affiliates.

Kevin McGinnis

CEO, Keystone Community Corporation

With innovation and leadership at his core, Kevin McGinnis has been a successful executive leader at one of the nation’s leading technology companies, and has deep entrepreneurial experience starting a corporate accelerator and leading a growth-stage tech firm.

When McGinnis noticed the region lacked a destination which enabled people to collaborate at scale, causing the region to lose pace economically, his strong belief in KC drove him to act. Leveraging his career experiences focused on innovation, McGinnis is now collaborating with civic, corporate and community stakeholders to drive the Keystone vision to life.

Jasmine Nastasi

Co-Owner & Producer, Stellar Image Studios

Jasmine is the co-owner/producer at Stellar Image Studios(SIS), a dynamic sister-owned video production company. Her experience ranges from working in Corporate America and in Nonprofit Leadership.  SIS produces content for corporate, industrial, non-profit, and educational clients who use mid-range video for websites, training, social media, and internal communications. SIS is a 100% women-owned video production company.  Their goal is to provide all of their clients’ video needs with productions that inform, inspire, and stimulate action.